Winemaker Notes
The name Right Bank is a nod to both the Bordeaux blend style and Materra's vineyard's location along the Napa River.
Their 2022 Merlot-dominant blend presents a deep garnet hue. The nose offers vibrant aromas of ripe black cherry and intense red fruit. Flavors of pink peppercorn and dried oregano add depth, complemented by prominent acidity and well-integrated oak. The palate is savory, plush, and inviting, with fine tannins building power on the finish. The character of the Cabernet Franc shines on the palate with notes of blueberry and black tea.
Blend: 93% Merlot, 6% Cabernet Franc, 1% Cabernet Sauvignon
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
This enjoyable, velvety wine offers violets and rose petals in the aroma, then lush blueberry, blackberry and dark chocolate flavors. The texture is soft, moderately tannic and mouth-filling. Drink now or hold.
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Wine Enthusiast
Juicy, generous red and dark fruits combine with spices and earthy aromatics for a Merlot-based blend with an almost playful, satisfying structure.
With generous fruit and supple tannins, Merlot is made in a range of styles from everyday-drinking to world-renowned and age-worthy. Merlot is the dominant variety in the wines from Bordeaux’s Right Bank regions of St. Emilion and Pomerol, where it is often blended with Cabernet Franc to spectacular result. Merlot also frequently shines on its own, particularly in California’s Napa Valley. Somm Secret—As much as Miles derided the variety in the 2004 film, Sideways, his prized 1961 Château Cheval Blanc is actually a blend of Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
As one of Napa’s coolest sub-appellations, the area begs for diversity among its vineyards. Merlot and Chardonnay firmly compete with Cabernet Sauvignon for a place here. Some of Napa’s best Zinfandels also come from the Oak Knoll District.
Situated far in Napa’s southern end, Oak Knoll receives a strong cooling influence from both the San Pablo Bay and the Pacific Coast’s evening fog and breezes. Summer days are warm but on average ten degrees cooler than in St. Helena farther north up the valley; summer nights are chilly. A long growing season promotes for leisurely ripening of grape berries, resulting in an impressive balance of sugars, phenols and acidity.
Notable producers include Trefethen, one of the appellation’s oldest wineries, Robert Biale, legendary Zinfandel producer and Lewis Cellars, a family-run, hands-on establishment.